The Man of Few Words
by NicoleMack
Summary: A series of vignettes depicting special moments in our favourite couple's life together. JavaJunkie all the way. Story Two: Silence is Louder Than Five Words
1. Default Chapter

The Man of Few Words  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, nothing I tell you!  
  
Story One: The Magic of Snow  
  
It wasn't an anniversary, and it wasn't even a significant day, which is what made it all the more perfect. He'd been waiting, somewhat patiently, for her to bound in one morning and pronounce it to be the day. He'd been prepared for this since September, when the idea had first come to him, and he'd gone out to Hartford to find exactly what he needed to pull off his plan. It was surprisingly late by Connecticut's standards, as it was almost December. But she had rushed inside that morning, her cheeks pink from the cold, her eyes glimmering with the excitement of the five year old that was buried inside, her scarf askew from being thrown on so quickly.  
  
"Today's the day," she announced, bouncing slightly and clasping her gloved hands together.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked her sternly, giving away nothing of his own excitement, and turning to grab the pot of coffee to fulfil her morning quota.  
  
"One hundred percent certain Mr Sceptic," she nodded decidedly.  
  
"Alright then, since Rory can't be here, I suppose you're going to expect me to come with you tonight," he tried to play his usual reluctant part, but he was sure she would see through him immediately and wonder at his eagerness.  
  
"Well, you know, since you do always provide the coffee and donuts every other year, you might as well come along." She wondered if something was up, it was unlike him to agree so quickly, but she brushed it off, thinking that after being in the position of her significant other for somewhere close to two and a half years, he was finally learning to pick his arguments.  
  
"Alright, so I'll meet you out front at midnight then," he replied as he headed towards the recently occupied table to the right of the door.  
  
"It's a date," she grinned again, or still, rather. She grabbed her cup and paused on her way out to kiss his cheek. "You certainly have your moments, don't you?"  
  
"It's why you're still hanging around," he replied, one eyebrow raised teasingly.  
  
"Oh no, it's all about the coffee, my friend. All about the coffee." And she breezed through the door, hugging herself and sipping from the cup as she sauntered down the street looking happily towards the sky.  
  
--  
  
Luke stood on the steps of the diner, rubbing his hands together to ward off the cold, watching as she crossed the square to meet him. It was dark and quiet, and the first flakes had descended only a few minutes earlier, making their timing perfect. He looked towards the sky, offering a private moment of thanks to the weather gods for providing the much-needed snow to make this entire exercise worthwhile.  
  
"Have I ever been wrong?" she asked, holding her hands out, indicating the current state of weather.  
  
"More times than I can count," he replied drolly, eyeing her steadily.  
  
"About this?" she clarified.  
  
"Again, more times than I can count."  
  
"Spoilsport. Where's the coffee?" He turned and grabbed the cup from the step behind him, handing it to her before retrieving the bag of donuts. She stood sipping silently, watching as the ground was slowly but surely being hidden under a thin blanket of white.  
  
"I thought the idea was to walk."  
  
"Come on then, lover man. It's either that or we do something else to keep ourselves warm," she suggested, the five year old twinkle replaced by a decidedly adult twinkle.  
  
"First things first," he replied, grabbing her hand and dragging her away from the town centre.  
  
"Hey Carl Lewis, slow down would you? We're supposed to be enjoying the atmosphere, not training for the Beijing games."  
  
He deliberately slowed his steps, letting her catch up and fall into step beside him. He hadn't realised how anxious he was until they'd started moving, and he just wanted to get where they were going and get it over with. She tugged her hand free from his grasp and slipped it around his arm, holding tightly just above his elbow.  
  
"I love how quiet it gets," she mused, her voice almost a whisper, unwilling to destroy the peace.  
  
"It's eerie," he replied shortly.  
  
"Shh! You'll wreck it! You're supposed to be enjoying it, and the company of your brilliant, yet stunning girlfriend."  
  
"Modest too, I see," he nudged her playfully.  
  
"It's why you love me. So, do we have a particular destination in mind or are we wandering aimlessly?"  
  
"I was thinking we could wander aimlessly towards the inn."  
  
Surprisingly, she didn't open her mouth with a reply. She simply looked at him and smiled contentedly. It was moments like these that she enjoyed the most. He was still surprising her with moments like these after all this time, and she hoped he would continue to do so for as long as humanly possible.  
  
They continued in silence until they found themselves in the garden at the front of the Dragonfly Inn. It had been a successful business for a little over a year, after initial struggles to get recognition and create a reputation in order to fill reservations, and though it had taken longer than expected, she and Sookie were now the proud owners of a successful business. It made it all the more beautiful, seeing it lit dimly only by the porch lights and a few trees wrapped in fairy lights, and knowing that the rooms were ninety percent filled at any given time.  
  
They stood side by side, looking up at the old building, pride clear on their faces. She of the building, he of her. He rummaged in the bag and produced a donut for her, which she took eagerly and began devouring immediately. He then reached into his pocket and produced another item, and stepped in front of her, holding it up between them where she could clearly see it.  
  
"I got this for you, too."  
  
Her mouth was full of donut, and she couldn't help but smile around the food, her lips pursed together tightly. Her eyes twinkled again, this time showing a mix of the child and adult within her, and she leaned toward him to press a chaste kiss against his lips. She fumbled with the remains of the donut and her coffee cup, trying to free her left hand and remove her glove. She held it out for him, and he slid the item on her finger, amazed at how right it instantly looked there, glinting in the dull light, with the snowflakes falling and immediately melting on her warm skin. He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her knuckle just above the ring. At this, the food and drink were forgotten, falling into the half inch of snow as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him definitively.  
  
"Hey, you know the cabin's empty. Wanna go keep ourselves warm?" She grinned wickedly.  
  
"Let's make tonight memorable," he replied, taking her hand.  
  
"Trust me, it already is."  
  
End.  
  
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	2. Silence is Louder Than Five Words

**The Man of Few Words**

**Silence is Louder than Five Words**

**By NicoleMack**

Before, he had woken each morning having to remind himself that his life was ok. He had his own business, which supported him enough; it wasn't necessarily comfortable, nor tightly budgeted; it was quite simply enough. The other aspects of his life he hadn't quite mastered, but he had been ok with that. He knew that eventually something would work in his favour and he would embrace the opportunity willingly. So it was a surprise when _he_ was the thing that worked in his favour. He was even more shocked to find that there was a positive end result; that he actually got what he had been wanting for so long.

The honeymoon period had lasted an amazing three and a half months, and then reality had hit full force. The argument had been monumental, almost to the level of their last big fight after Jess and Rory's accident. Though hurtful things were said, he sucked up his pride and went to her with the revelation that he wasn't about to give up. After that, it had taken her a week to come to him and apologize, but he was grateful that she had found the courage she needed. Since that night (which happened to also be some of the best sex they'd ever had) they had worked tirelessly at their relationship. When she knew something was on his mind, she would bug him incessantly to tell her, and rather than getting annoyed at her prying, he would find a private place, a private moment to tell her about it.

And when he could see that she was feeling claustrophobic, he would tell her to go home, call her daughter and spend the night on her own. What he hadn't expected was for her to return the next morning, dragging him upstairs or to the storeroom, away from inquisitive eyes, where she kissed him hard and told him she hadn't slept well because he wasn't beside her. She had missed him, and she wasn't afraid to admit it.

Eighteen months passed, and he found himself waking every morning with the knowledge leaping forth that life was good. If he had been anyone other than himself, he might have substituted the adjective with something more exciting, but he was Luke Danes, modest and realistic.

On this particular morning, he allowed himself fifteen minutes' grace, staying in bed and watching her sleep. He had made a decision the day before and he immediately leapt into action, making plans, buying supplies and calling Rory for advice. Now that he knew he wanted it, he wasted no time in making it happen.

They were in his apartment, tucked under the covered, their bodies turned towards one another. His eyes travelled over her features; her dark lashes against fair skin, a sprinkling of faint freckles spread across her nose and cheeks; her full, rose coloured lips opened slightly, making them even more irresistible than when they were moving a mile a minute; her dark curly hair, long and soft, falling across her cheek and neck, tousled by the night in bed. To him, she was the most beautiful creature in the world, and he couldn't believe he was the lucky guy who got to spend every night with her. His eyes returned to her closed lids, and he was almost disappointed that he couldn't look at her clear blue eyes, but that would just mean that her mouth would also be open, words spilling out and spoiling the peace of pre-dawn.

He loved her, without a doubt, but he had learned very quickly that there wasn't anywhere she wouldn't carry on a pointless conversation, and their intimate moments were no exception. He reached out, brushing a cured lock of hair away, his hand brushing the soft skin of her neck. In the beginning, he had feared doing such things in case it woke her, but one disastrous morning involving a broken shower caddy and a jammed dresser drawer, he discovered that she could probably sleep through a natural disaster.

After placing a kiss on her forehead, he climbed out of bed and headed to the shower before setting the kitchen table with his surprise. After settling the coffee to brew, he hurried downstairs to retrieve the single pink tulip from the fridge in the storage room, where he had hidden it when he bought it the day before. Luke arranged the table in the apartment with the flower in a small vase, a cup of coffee sitting in front of it. With a piece of twine, he tied a ring to the stem of the flower, just below the petals, letting it dangle and glint in the morning sun. He stood back to admire his work a moment, turned, admired Lorelai a moment more, then headed downstairs to open the diner.

To his relief, he only had to wait thirty minutes until she dragged herself downstairs and onto a stool at the counter.

"Hey, sleep well?" he asked.

"Mmm hmm," she nodded, eyes still half closed. "Coffee."

As soon as the word escaped her mouth, Luke froze. Did she find it? She seemed like she had literally crawled out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. "Did you see the cup I left on the table?"

"Mmm. Downed it in ten seconds. Please Luke, I need more."

He sighed as he turned to retrieve the pot. Maybe she had missed it. Maybe her sleep-fogged brain had been unable to see past the coffee, maybe it wasn't as obvious as he thought it was. But the weight of the ring pulled on the delicate stem of the flower, making it bend slightly. Or maybe she had seen it and was pretending she hadn't in order to give herself time to figure out how to say no.

He turned back to her, studying her expression, the way she was slumped against the counter, trying to read her, but getting nothing. He grabbed a cup from the shelf below and carefully poured the hot liquid, watching her while she stared at the mug. When it was full, he nudged it towards her and turned his back, replacing the pot on the hot plate. When he turned once more, the sight before him took his breath away. She had the cup to her lips, both hands were wrapped around it, and her eyes were boring holes in him. A ring adorned her left hand, and it fit perfectly. Luke spread his hands on the counter, leaning towards her slightly.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Well what?" she replied innocently.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"I wasn't aware it was a question."

"What?" he was utterly confused by her statement.

"Well if it's not necessary for you to say your part, then I don't need to say mine."

A smile slowly spread across his face as she spoke. "Ok then," he replied, leaning forward to seal it with a kiss. "More coffee?"

She looked up at him, catching his eye as she responded, "Always."

The End.


End file.
